We, Intertwined
by MarinasDiamonds
Summary: Jacob/OC. When the prestigious Rocheford family moves to La Push, Vera's life is turned upside down. Things only get stranger when she meets the mysterious Jacob Black
1. Chapter 1

**Title: We, Intertwined**

**Author: MarinasDiamonds**

**Rating: T-M**

**A/N: This was posted under my old account, but I deleted it. Please enjoy, read and review!**

The morning dawned gray and drizzly, and with a sigh I resigned myself to the fact that this is how my mornings would be from now on. Yes, moving from Washington DC to La Push would definitely be an adjustment. I stayed flopped in my covers for a little while longer until I heard the intercom buzz.

"Vera, you need to be downstairs in 10 minutes," said my mother's chilly tone crackling through the tinny speakers. I groaned and rolled off the bed. My body hit the floor with a resounding thud and I rolled to my feet. I trudged to the bathroom and was greeted by the sight of my little sister, Agnes, lying on the tiled floor.

"Agnes!" I cried, stumbling to the ground. She could have slipped and fallen on the wet floor or she could have cracked her head on the vanity or…

"Stop fussing, Veer. I'm just taking a break," Agnes laughed.

"Taking a break from what?! You just woke up!" I exclaimed. Agnes's chest was rising and falling with suppressed laughter.

"Taking a break from straightening my hair. It's an endeavor," she giggled.

Agnes was 15 years old, and far too smart for her age. Her dark brown hair was lush and straight, while mine was light blonde and wavy.

"It's drizzling out, so I doubt it will stay straight for long," I said as I walked towards my vanity. I quickly undid my hair from the braid and smoothed the waves out with my fingers. Deciding on a first day hairstyle was an extremely important part of this morning's ritual. If I didn't show up with a fierce hairstyle and outfit, my confidence would be shot.

"Ags, how are you doing your hair?" I asked as I twirled a strand of my own ash blonde hair around my index finger. Agnes was getting her hair pin straight and it looked like she was going for a retro beehive type thing. She left a few piecy strands hanging around her ears. No matter what she did to her hair, Agnes always managed to look beyond badass.

"Do you like it?" she asked, turning around for my approval.

"Yeah, it looks really good," I replied. It was an awesome first day style, but it would be unthinkable for me to copy her it.

"I think you should just like, make low, loose ponytails and tie them with ribbons,"

"That's not a bad idea," I mused. I parted my hair in the middle and decided to braid the ponytails halfway down before tying them off with lavender ribbons. As I was walking into my closet, I noticed an iPod dock recessed into the wall. I smiled to myself-whoever designed this house knew me well. I fetched my iPod classic from my Kate Spade and plugged it in. This morning's selection was Emiliana Torrini. As the playful beat of "Jungle Drum" pulsed through my room, I danced into my closet. I decided that my Miss Sixty ink rinse stovepipe jeans with a fitted plaid top that flared out at the bottom would make a good first impression; they said I was classy and playful at the same time. I grabbed my Marc Jacobs blazer and slid some gold ballet flats on my feet. I was in such a hurry to get down the stairs that I almost tumbled down them. Mother was standing in the grand foyer with two Slimfast shakes dangling from her hands.

"You look nice today, Vera," she said loftily. Agnes came to a screeching stop next to me and grabbed one of the shakes, taking a sip.

"Agnes, your hair looks absurd," Mother commented, in the same tone of voice that she had just used to compliment me. Agnes just took another sip of her shake. I grabbed mine out of Mother's other hand and made to get out the door, but Mother's bony hand stopped me.

"Aren't you forgetting your keys, Vera?"

Oh. I wouldn't get too far without those, would I? I turned around to look for them in the kitchen, but Mother dangled them in front of my face. I reached up to grab them but she pulled them out of my reach.

"Remember: you're not to boast or brag about any of your possessions, and you are to come straight home after school. There's no telling what type of riffraff live on this reservation,"

I nodded, grabbed the keys and spun out the door, Agnes trailing behind me. The Cayenne was parked right in front of the house, much to my joy. I wasn't looking forward to tramping through wet grass to get to my carriage. It was a light gold and beyond gorgeous. I hit the clicker and jumped in, cranking the engine. Agnes slid in on the other side and slammed the door.

"Let's do this," she said with a devilish glint in her eyes.

"Sure," I said, taking a deep breath and throwing the car into drive. It snarled in response and shot down the gravel drive. Yes, this was good. It was very good. Agnes grabbed my iPod out of my bag and plugged it in, changing the song to "Hot Mess" by Cobra Starship. It was one of our guilty pleasures- as soon as I heard the beginning notes I began to feel more confident about the day.

The La Push Junior-Senior High School was right on the main drag, just like Daddy said. It was hard to miss, what with a giant gray sign announcing its name. I took a deep breath and pulled into the parking lot. My breath caught in my chest-the Cayenne was by far the nicest car in the lot, by a long shot. It was almost embarrassing; I've felt this feeling before. It's the uncomfortable, prickly feeling that excessive affluence that was caused by a situation in which you are the richest person in the room by several figures. I felt the prickles rising in my chest and sticking to my throat. Agnes squeezed my hand on the gearshift and looked at me with probing eyes.

"It's not going to be too bad, is it?" she asked.

"Honestly? I think it's going to be the worst we've ever experienced. I've never seen such…poverty," I said, and to my horror, I could feel the revulsion creeping into my tone. I've always tried to be as open minded and tolerant as I could be, but this…this was different. There was graffiti splashed on the brick walls and big chunks of pavement missing. As I parked, I began to fear for the safety of my beloved Cayenne. Thankfully, Porsche had a really good anti-theft system, so there wasn't too much cause for my worries. But still, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled over me.

"Well, there's not much we can do about it now but work through it," Agnes said confidently, but I could see through the façade. After all, Agnes was only 14, just a baby, really. It was my job to take care of her, bolster her confidence up and raise her spirits. And I was doing a terrible job. I took a deep breath and squeezed her hand back.

"We always conquer stuff like this, Ags," I reassured her.

"Yeah, but this is the first time that Richie hasn't been here," she reminded me. She was right, Richie was always the one we looked up to. He was our leader and our guide, and now he was across the country. I steeled myself and took a deep breath.

"And we're gonna be just fine without him. It'll be hard, but we'll get through," I tried to hide the doubt and trepidation in my voice. Taking another deep, cleansing breath, I tugged the keys out of the ignition. I opened the door and stepped out on the damp concrete. A damp wind fluttered through the lot, raising chill bumps on my arms.

"If you say so," Agnes commented lightly. I could tell she didn't fully believe me. I grabbed my bag from the car and locked the doors twice-I was not going to take any chances. The campus was crowded with dark-skinned teens and middle schoolers-we, or at least I, would stick out like a sore thumb.

Faded signs pointed to the Main Office, my destination. It was there that my sister and I were to get our course schedules. As we approached the door, I stopped and dug my roller of Marc Jacobs Daisy out of my bag. There was really nothing like your favorite perfume to brighten any situation. I rubbed the tube over my wrists and dabbed it under my ears before handing it off to Agnes. She didn't need it though; she was already occupied with the newest Marc Jacobs fragrance, Lola. I tucked the roller back into my purse and pulled the door open. I could feel Agnes hovering behind me, exuding a cloud of cotton candied air.

A chubby Quileute woman who was organizing files was seated at the front desk. Her nametag designated her as N. Ateara. She looked up when she heard Agnes's kitten heels clicking on the scuffed linoleum. I could see a look of surprise register over her face, like she wasn't expecting us.

"Um, hi," I squeaked. "We're Vera and Agnes Rocheford." The latter came out like a question, and I cringed with embarrassment. So much for being confident.

"Oh, of course, girls. I've got your schedules right here," N. Ateara flipped through an extremely orderly file and gave my sister and I two sheets of paper "You know, I went to school with your father for a while, before he moved back east," she didn't give us a chance to respond before she barreled on. "He was always so nice. Now, Vera, was it?"

I nodded and squeaked an affirmation. If this is what my day was going to be like, squeaks for communication, I was screwed.

"You've got Mr. Durr for history first. He's over in building 11," she gestured to a low building made of gray brick. I couldn't see anything that designated it as building 11, and the more I looked around, I noticed that the buildings were all identical, without numbers. This would be harder than I expected; my old schools had all been like college campuses, with hall names emblazoned on arches.

"Once first period's over, you can get one of your new classmates to show you to your next class,"

"Yes ma'am," I replied. She looked over to Agnes and ran an appraising eye over her body.

"You look just like your daddy, young lady. Agnes, you've got first period in building 5 with Ms. Hatton; that's Intro to Marine Biology. Same thing that I said to your sister; one of your classmates will direct you to your next class."

"Of course," Agnes said.

"I'm sure you two will do just fine," N. Ateara said, giving us a warm smile. "You girls have a nice day, ok?"

Agnes and I made our way back out of the front office.

"Well, that's my first class over there," I pointed to where the receptionist showed me. The building was now teeming with students, pouring in and out of doors.

"And mine's over there," she said, pointing caddy-corner.

"How can you tell?" I asked, shocked. I couldn't see any numbers. Agnes revealed a map printed on the back of her schedule. Once I flipped mine over, I saw that I had the same thing.

"Well, that makes things infinitely easier," I said. "I wonder why she didn't tell us before?"

"Maybe she just forgot," Agnes replied.

"Ok, well, we should get to our respective classes," I said, fiddling with the clasps on my bag.

"Right, I guess I'll see you at lunch?"

"Yeah, text me." I said. I needed reassurance that her day was going well, or else I'd be a nervous wreck. I started the walk towards my first class, feeling horribly out of place. I was easily the whitest person on campus. Everywhere I turned, I couldn't find any signs of people with skin and hair even close to my shade. I could feel eyes on me and hear whispers of other kids. I straightened my shoulders and put a bit of a strut into my walk, trying to look like I owned this joint. I was rewarded with snickers and more whispers. Damn.

I came to a stop outside room 11-18, which had "Mr. Durr-Upper School History" labeled outside it. The door swung open without me touching it, as an absolutely giant man lumbered out. He had to be at least six-five, bulging with muscle and dripping of importance. I took this chance to slip inside without having to make an extremely awkward entrance. I scanned the rows of desks and sat down in the first empty one I found. Right as I was arranging my Kate Spade on the floor beside me, a large, warm hand tapped my shoulder.

"That's Jacob's seat," a low voice rumbled. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt the giant hand resting on my shoulder. Spinning around in my seat, I was shocked when I saw another huge, muscle bound kid sitting behind me. Were all the boys here like this?

"Oh, um…I guess I'll move then," I mumbled, making to get up from my seat. All of the sudden, another brown arm shot out in front of me.

"Stop it, Quil. Jacob's not here today," the speaker was a tall girl with shoulder length straight black hair. Her clothes weren't too horrible; they were a mix of American Eagle and Aeropostale.

"Like you'd know anything about it, Kim," Quil growled menacingly. I didn't like this situation at all. It was easily one of the most awkward situations I'd been in a while.

The girl named Kim snorted. "Save it, Quil. You know that Jared tells me everything."

This served only to piss Quil off even more. "Damn fool can't keep his fucking mouth shut". He began shaking a bit in his seat, and I scooted way up in mine, trying to get as far away from his as I could.

"Calm down, Quil. Just because Claire's too young to understand what you're telling her doesn't mean that the rest of us are," she shot back. At the mention of Claire, Quil calmed down noticeably.

"She understands plenty," he said plaintively, before going back to doodling on his desk.

This experience was entirely uncomfortable. I discreetly sniffed my wrist, willing the smell of my perfume to calm me.

"Don't worry about Quil," Kim said to me kindly. "He's really just a big baby," Quil grunted in response to this while Kim smiled sweetly.

"I'm Kim Williams" she introduced herself, extending her hand to shake. As I grasped it, I noticed a beautiful ring. It was made out of silver and looked like one of those never-ending knots that you see advertised. For the everlasting nature of love…that kind of stuff. "You must be one of the Rocheford girls,"

"How could you tell?" I said sarcastically.

Kim chuckled in response and said, "I've never seen you before and you smell like big city."

I had to laugh at that. "Yeah, I'm fresh off the east coast. I'm Vera,"

"Nice to meet you, Vera," Kim said amiably. "Don't you have a sister or something?"

"Yeah, Agnes. She's in ninth grade,"

"Those are interesting names," Kim commented.

I rolled my eyes and said, "They're family names. We're named after a bunch of old, dead relatives,"

Kim smiled and exclaimed, "Well, I think they're really cool and unique," She opened her mouth to say something else, but Mr. Durr stepped up to the podium to start class. He took roll, stumbling over my name. The entire class turned in my direction and I felt my cheeks heating. I quietly willed the blush away; I had never been one of those girls who blush constantly at every little thing. I was confident and in control. I repeated this mantra until the attention was diverted from me. Mr. Durr began handing out battered textbooks that had seen better days, along with a handout to go with them.

"That handout is your first homework assignment. I want you to define all the boldfaced terms in the first chapter for tomorrow," The class let out a collective groan at this; after all, first day homework was nearly taboo across the nation.

"C'mon, you guys are upper classmen. You've got to get used to a high volume of work-it's going to be even more next year. Better to start preparing you now instead of throwing you to the wolves later,"

At this, Quil let out a snuffly laugh and I wondered what was so funny about the metaphor. I saw Kim shoot him a warning look. What was that about, I wondered. Before I got a chance to muse more, the bell rang. Well, I say rang, but it really kind of just toned one flat note.

"Oooh, let me see your schedule!" Kim said excitedly. "I wonder if we have any classes together," I handed her my schedule and watched her eyes skim over it. One side of her lip glossed mouth turned up at the corner.

"Looks like all we have together is first and fourth," I had pre-calc fourth. Joy of joys. "But you've got second period with my boyfriend, Jared,"

I stood up and straightened my clothes. "Oh, that's awesome! I guess I'll see you in fourth." Kim laughed and we walked out of the classroom together.

"How about I walk you to Bowyer?" seeing my look of confusion, Kim clarified. "He's the English teacher. He's kind of weird,"

"I don't want you to have to go out of your way and be late for your next class," I protested.

"Don't worry, my class is right down the hall. I have Nursing Skills next,"

We strolled through the halls, and I once again felt the eyes drilling into my back. "You'd think they never saw anyone with blonde hair before," I said indignantly.

"It's not just that, " Kim explained. "Most everyone is pissed of about the big mansion on the cliff.

"Why?!" I said with shock. I didn't see anything wrong with it. It wasn't ugly or in the way of anything.

"It's just a lot bigger than everything else. Some people resent that. And your flashy car doesn't do much to help your reputation as a spoiled rich girl," Kim said.

I was aghast. I hadn't done anything to act like a spoiled rich girl. "Also, the elders don't like when we marry outside the tribe, which is exactly what your dad did. He left the reservation and got married to your mom, who is really _really_ white,"

I couldn't believe this. Sure, Mother could be a bitch, but we had just arrived. It seemed people had formed their opinions of our family without even meeting us.

"Well that's really immature," I mumbled, put out. "We haven't done _anything_ except show up in town,"

"Yeah, I know. I don't really think it's that big of a deal, but some guys are all about tribe pride and standards and blah blah blah," Kim explained.

"Guys like Quil?" I asked. His hostile behavior made a little more sense now.

Kim sighed and said, "Yeah. Guys like Quil." We had arrived at the door of what I assumed to be my English class. Kim opened the door and rushed into the arms of another insanely muscled boy. He was really, really tall and he had a tattoo of the design of Kim's ring on his bicep. The two clutched each other in the doorway, and I felt like I was intruding in someone's bedroom. The way they were looking at each other was so full of love and devotion, it made me feel awkward. I peered around the embracing couple to survey the classroom. It was filled with even more russet-skinned students. I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that I was, without a doubt, the whitest person in school. Even Agnes was darker than me.

"Vera!" Kim called, disentangling herself from her boyfriend. I turned my attention back to the happy couple.

"Vera, this is Jared. He's my…" she trailed off as he brushed his fingers along her face and smiled the sweetest smile I have ever seen at her. "He's my everything,"

If I weren't witnessing the extreme amount of adoration in both of their eyes, I would have vomited with the amount of cloying sweetness in the air. But this was real, very real, and it made me ache for something that I had never experienced.

Kim's smiling face swam back into view as I was snapped out of my reverie. "Oh, nice to meet you Jared," I said, extending my hand. It was immediately engulfed in his larger one. Jared's hand was massive and scorching hot. It took a lot of willpower not to draw back in surprise. I didn't want to offend him.

"Igualmente. El placer es mío," he said.

Kim jumped in and said, "He just came from Spanish. He does this for a while," she squeezed his hand and smiled up at him.

"Por supuesto, señor. Que tal?" I replied. I took Spanish back DC and was looking forward to starting back up.

Jared laughed good-naturedly and said, "I'm fine, Vera. And yourself?"

I liked him already. He seemed very easy to talk to and he had a casual air about him.

"I'm pretty ok," I answered. "It's kind of weird being the only white girl in sight,"

Jared chuckled at this and Kim giggled. "It's not too bad. I'm sure you'll get used to it pretty darn quick," he said. The warning bell sounded, and Kim jumped out of Jared's embrace.

"That's my cue," she said, turning to walk out the door. She didn't get too far, however, before Jared grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a kiss. I decided it would be in my best interest to sit down. I searched the classroom, not sure if there were assigned seats or not. I glanced up at the blackboard and saw that Mr. Bowyer wanted us to sit wherever we felt we would absorb the most knowledge. I liked this teacher already. I chose a seat in the middle of the classroom-not as far back as some of the slackers would sit, and not too close to the front where the super overachievers sit. A happy medium, if you will.

Jared plunked down in the seat next to me. He turned around to say something, but I beat him to the punch.

"Are you gonna tell me that this is Jacob's seat too?"

He looked taken aback, "No, I wasn't. What, did you meet Quil?" Now it was my turn to be surprised. How had he known about that?

"Yeah, in first period. He told me that I was sitting in Jacob's seat and got really pissed off, but Kim got him to calm down,"

Jared exhaled loudly. "Yep, that's Quil for ya. He gets a bit defensive about Jacob,"

This was confusing. Who the hell was Jacob and why was he so important? "Well, who's Jacob?" I asked.

"He's one of our best friends, but…he's probably not going to be in school for a while. At least, I don't think he will be. He might come back for the wedding,"

"Who's getting married?"

"Just some kids down in Forks that Jacob was close with. Well, he was close to the bride, not her fiancé. Those two were like mortal enemies. They hated each other. But the wedding's this weekend, so maybe he'll be back after that,"

"So he's gonna stop the wedding or something, like you see in movies?"

This elicited a rumbly laugh from Jared. "Maybe. It's hard to tell with Jacob,"

"So Quil's saving him seats even though he's not coming to school?" I still didn't understand that part.

"It's just Quil. He's really taking this hard. He doesn't like the bride or the groom and he hates the groom's family, so he's really pissed off and he doesn't understand why Jacob's all torn up about the wedding,"

I was about to ask Jared how he felt about the entire thing when the final bell rang, and Mr. Bowyer stepped to the front of the class.

"Students, I want you to know that you'll be challenged in my class. You'll be writing more essays than you ever have in your life, you'll read more than you ever have. Specifically, you'll read more nonfiction than you ever have in your life. You should know upfront that my class isn't easy. I'm not going to tolerate laziness or excuses, so get that through your skulls pronto. I guess it's time for me to take roll now, so let's get that nonsense out of the way," He grabbed a clipboard off his desk and flipped through a couple of pages on it. When he got to my name, he stopped and looked at me.

"I know your mother," he said simply. I must have made some weird noise of affirmation in response, because a wry smile appeared on his face and he said, "A woman with an extensive verbal lexicon. I like it,"

Lovely, just what I needed; a teacher to think I was an idiot on the first day of school. I fiddled with a tendril of hair and sunk lower in my seat.

"Now," Mr. Bowyer continued. "I'm going to pass out your Norton Readers," he gestured to a stack of tan colored books. The Norton will be your friend and your enemy. I expect you to treat it with care and respect, so I don't want to see you drawing in it," He handed a stack out to each row, and when mine got to me, I flipped through the pages, searching for any offending doodles. There was only one that stood out of the mass of random scribbles. It was a heart that had been crossed out angrily. I could still decipher the names inside; they said "Leah + Sam forever." Someone had scratched a giant X through it, and next to the heart, someone wrote "Sucks for you". It must have been a bitter break up, I thought. I felt bad for whoever Leah was. Breakups sucked, and were even worse when the entire school new about them.

"I'm passing out some index cards. On it, I want you to write the grades you have received in your last two high school English classes, your favorite author and a quote you think describes you," Mr. Bowyer said.

I grabbed an index card from the person in front of me, a boy with a pimply neck. Once I had mine, I passed the rest of the stack back and set to work writing my name in the most formal, intelligent looking writing I could muster. It was with pride that I listed my honors English class from last year and the A I had gotten in it. Hmmm, now for my favorite book. _Les Miserables, _obviously. And a quote-that one was somewhat difficult. I remembered one that I really liked from around the middle of the book. "Not being heard is no reason for silence". Yeah, I liked that one. I stood up and brought it to Mr. Bowyer's desk. I quickly set it down and scurried back to my desk-I didn't want to initiate contact. Looking over to Jared's desk, I saw that he put his quote as "Go big or go home". It was oddly fitting.

My next two classes passed much like the first two-I had to do the awkward introduction where you stand in front of the class in Spanish III, but the Pre-cal teacher was mercifully uninterested. She made us sit in alphabetical order, which made me nervous, because I was planning on sitting next to Kim. At least the material didn't seem like it would be too difficult. I took a semester of trig last year and it seemed like that would be a good portion of the course. When the bell rang, Ms. Cline made us wait for her dismissal before we could leave.

I hadn't gotten a text from Agnes all day, and I was beginning to worry. As I walked into the cafeteria, I saw that my worries were useless. Agnes was sitting at a table with a bunch of people, and she seemed to be holding court. I smiled to myself; at least she fit right in immediately. Kim and I walked to a table in the middle of the room that was populated by more large guys. I made a survey of the cafeteria; they were clearly the largest. I guess they must take anabolic steroids or something. I sat down on the other side of Jared, giving Quil a wide berth. It seemed Kim and I were the only girls at the table, which felt almost like a privilege. I took time to rearrange the books that I'd gotten in my first four classes and dug out my wallet to go buy lunch. Before I could stand up, however, Agnes appeared with a basket of chicken fingers.

"First day special: buy one get one free," she smiled at me. Her hair had lost some of its straightness, but it worked for her. The little curls were cute with her beehive.

"Thanks, Ags!" I exclaimed, surprised that she had brought them over to me.

"No problem, Veer," she said, still smiling. She looked expectantly at me and cleared her throat. I caught her drift-I should have introduced her to my friends already. Well, sort of friends, more like acquaintances.

"Agnes, this is Kim, Jared and Quil, and…I'm sorry, I don't know the rest of your names," I said apologetically to the other members of the table.

"No problem," said the skinniest one of the bunch. "I'm Embry Call, and this is Paul,"

"Nice to meet you," I said and was immediately echoed by Agnes.

"I'm Vera Rocheford, and this is my sister, Agnes," I said, introducing us. "We just moved here. Agnes is in ninth grade,"

Agnes tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear, "I need to go back to my own table. My friends are waving me over,"

Not going to lie, I was a bit jealous of her for already having friends. "Sure, okay. Just remember to meet me by the car after school ends,"

"Of course," Agnes replied, and then turned to go back to her table. I began to pick at my chicken fingers, not really tasting them.

"So you drive the Porsche," said Embry. It wasn't really a question; it was more of a statement. At the word Porsche, all the guys at the table suddenly stopped talking and watched for my response.

"Um, yeah. It's my dad's old car," I answered, uncomfortably. I really didn't want to talk about the car, or draw any more attention to the fact that my family probably had more money than all of theirs put together.

"_Old_ car?" Embry exclaimed. "It's an '08! It's practically new!"

"I really don't know much about it," I said, trying to get out of the conversation.

"Is it standard or automatic?"

"Automatic? I don't have to shift or anything," I was out of my league here; I wasn't too good with cars.

"Yeah, that's automatic," Embry informed me with a smile. "Jake would love it," he said to no one in particular.

The table lapsed into awkward silence at the mention of Jacob. It must be a really sore subject, I thought. I suddenly felt very out of place at the table. It was like I was an intruder. Thankfully, I didn't have to suffer too long; the bell rang. I jumped up and grabbed my Kate Spade, checking it for any damage.

"Hey Vera, you and Embry have the same 5th period," Kim said, breaking the somber silence. "You both have Anatomy & Physiology with Mrs. Walker next,"

"Oh, cool. Is that a weighted course?" I asked. I needed as many weighted courses as I could get-they would be the ones that were crucial to my GPA surviving my stint in this plebian school.

"Um, it's honors, if that's what you mean," Embry explained. I nodded my affirmation. I was about to ask about the rest of their classes when a giant thunderclap quite literally stole my thunder.

"Oh, damn," I whined. "Does it ever stop raining?"

The table seemed to find this beyond hilarious. Their laughter was raucous and loud, drawing attention to us. I felt my ears grow red and I tried to slide down in my seat, not that that would do any good, I still stuck out like a sore thumb.

Kim stopped giggling to pat my arm. "No, it doesn't. We're in the rainiest part of the US," Well damn, that sucked.

"Didn't you guys know that when you moved here?" Paul asked.

"No, that information wasn't shared with me," I said, sulking.

"Well, now you know," he said.

"Yeah, now I know," the bell sounded and the student body shifted, streaming out the doors and into the rain. I stood up and followed the herd.

The final bell rang at 2:55, and I've never been so relieved to hear that sound. Though I met nice people, starting over was exhausting. Kim and Jared walked me out to my car, which had a cloud of teenagers standing around it reverently. Great, exactly what I needed-people staring at the Cayenne and starting rumors. As I pushed through the throng, I noticed that Embry was guarding my baby. I felt a little pull in my stomach-Embry was hot and he was standing at _my_ car, waiting for _me._ Sure, it was probably because he had taken such an interest in the Cayenne at lunch, but the attention was nice.

"Stand back, stand back!" Embry shouted, forcing the student body to move. "The owner approaches!" I felt every eye on me as I took the keys out of my bag and unlocked the Cayenne.

"Thanks for keeping her safe, Embry," I said. Ok, I _was_ flirting a little bit-but not too much, I thought. I didn't want to seem desperate. After all, I had always made fun of those girls who base their entire existence on their social status and boyfriends. That wasn't me, at all. The only person you can trust is yourself, that was always my motto. Agnes popped up behind my shoulder, as silent as always. I smiled at her and cocked my head towards the car.

I slipped into the driver's seat and cranked the engine, reveling in the low purr of the high-powered machinery. Agnes gracefully slid into the passenger seat and shut the door. She glanced over at me, and smiled.

"So, Embry, huh?"

I laughed and smacked her arm playfully before peeling out of the parking lot.

"You wish, sister dearest"


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: We, Intertwined**

**Author: MarinasDiamonds**

**Rating: PG-13, for now**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who favorited and added my story to their alerts last night. No worries, Jacob will show up soon! Please, please R & R. This is my first story in years!**

Rain splattered against the windshield as Agnes and I pulled up to the house. I put the car into park and slumped over the steering wheel, resting my cheek on the camel colored leather. Agnes sat quietly, looking at me with her big brown eyes.

"Ags, I don't want to go in there right now. You know what will happen. She'll be on the couch, with her Chardonnay and she'll pick apart everything we've ever done. She's perfectly content to put a glossy finish on the mess that we call a family and pretend like nothing bad's ever happened."

My mind shot to last year, when I soared in the clouds and then crashed to the lowest lows. It was the purest thing I had ever experienced, but it was also apparently very unhealthy. Daddy had always called me high spirited, and Mother was pleased that I shone so brightly. I was on honor roll, I was president of the National Honor Society, on the prom planning committee-in short, I was everything she wanted me to be. But then, the doctors said the dreaded word: _bipolar_. It wasn't normal to stay up for 72 hours straight and write college application essays two years before it was time to even think about college. It was also abnormal to sink so low that the only way to stay attached to reality was to carve lines into your upper thigh with a razor blade.

I was broken out of my reverie by Alice clutching my arm. "Don't worry about it, Vera. We always get through this."

I sighed and said, "I miss Richie. If he was here, things would be easier". Richie was our older brother, and he was in his second year of school at Boston College. Richie was my rock, my touchstone. He and Agnes got me through whatever rollercoaster I was ricocheting around on. I didn't know what I would do in this strange town without him.

"Let's go inside, huh?"

I nodded and twisted around in my seat to grab my Kate Spade. I thought I saw something burnt orange flitting through the trees, but when I looked again, it was gone.

When we walked in the door, there was a note on the credenza in the foyer. The heavy, cream colored paper bore Mother's flourishing script.

_Ladies, I have a migraine. Please be quiet and finish your school work. Inez will be arriving tonight-your father is picking her up from the airport. Dinner will be served after she unpacks. Again, please be very quiet. Mother._

Well, at least I wouldn't have to deal with her for the rest of the day. Mother was plagued by debilitating migraines that confined her to her room. This was often a blessing, at least for me.

"Do you need help with your homework, Agnes?" I asked. She shook her head and smiled at me.

"First day of school. No homework, remember?"

"Yeah, I should be so lucky. My English teacher gave us a narrative essay to write-minimum three pages." I replied.

"Jeez, Vera, don't ask so disappointed. You love writing," Agnes reminded me.

"So I do, kid" I said, reaching to tousle her hair. She skipped away from me, treading lightly up the stairs.

"I'm gonna sketch, okay?" she called back down.

"Sure thing, Ags. I'll be in my room if you need me"

I hoisted my Kate Spade over my shoulder and walked up the stairs. A narrative essay shouldn't be too bad, I thought. And three pages was kid stuff, practically. Yes, this wouldn't take too long at all.

I tossed my bag on my bed and kicked off my shoes when I entered my bedroom. I let them lie there for a moment before I picked them up and put the shoes in the closet and placed the bag on my whitewashed desk. Mother wouldn't tolerate an untidy room, and I didn't want to push my luck when she was already cranky because of a migraine.

Sitting down at my desk, I slid open the top drawer and took out my MacBook Pro. After powering it up, I looked at my background. It was a picture of Richie's graduation party. I was sitting on his lap, wine cooler in hand, and he was making a goofy face. This particular picture always brought a smile to my face.

As I booted up Word, I thought of Mr. Bowyer. How did he know my mother? Was he from back East, too? No matter, I was sure the answer would come soon enough. As for my narrative essay, I didn't want to air my dirty laundry in it. Mr. Bowyer seemed like the type to make us peer review our essays, and I didn't want to be the subject of any more gossip than I already was.

I decided to leave the entirety of sophomore year out of my essay. No one needed to know about how screwed up I really was. I had become a master of masking it. With every layer of makeup I put on in the mornings, I was covering up my true self-the girl who still stroked the scars on her thighs to remind herself that she was real, the girl who swallowed a litany of pills like candy every night to make sure she didn't wake up and fly higher than high or plummet to the lowest low imaginable. In this essay, I could pretend I was normal, even if it was only for three pages.

Shortly after I finished my essay, the intercom in my room chimed.

"Vera, dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes." Inez, our housekeeper, had followed us out to La Push from our house in Georgetown. She had been with us since Agnes was born: cooking, cleaning and helping our household function on a plane of strained normalcy.

"Thanks, Inez!" I called. I saved the document and printed it. If Mother was at dinner, she'd expect us to look our best (yet another absurd rule of hers). I changed out of my plaid top and in to a flowing J. Crew grey top with lacy embellishments on the neckline. Strolling into the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. Yes, my hair and makeup definitely needed a touchup.

I untied the ribbons from my low ponytails and did my hair up in a classy French braid. I pinned it into a bun at the back of my head, making sure no strands were hanging down. Mother hated for us to look sloppy. I touched up my foundation and dusted on a bit of blush. There-I was finally presentable.

I knocked on Agnes's door and slid it open when she didn't respond. I peered around the corner of her room to find her curled up on a pile of pillows, clutching her sketch pad. I decided to take a peek at what she'd been drawing, knowing she'd never let me see when she was awake. To my surprise, it was a thigh covered in scars and angry red gashes-yes, most certainly my thigh. I had no idea that she knew about the cutting. My stomach clenched and my heart stuttered in my chest. I knew I couldn't confront her about it without losing some of her trust, so I shoved the uncomfortable feeling down deep inside me and shook her awake.

"Ags, dinner'll be ready soon." She looked up at me, bleary eyed and nodded.

"Can you help me do my hair?" Agnes asked. "I want it to look like yours, just without the bun."

"Sure thing, hon." I said, forcing a smile. I still was reeling from the drawing of my scars. Agnes nonchalantly slid the sketchpad under the pile of pillows and stretched, catlike.

"Come on, squirt. Let me get your hair."

Agnes took the bobby pins holding her beehive into place out of her hair and shook her head to loosen the style. She handed me a hair tie off her wrist and went over to her bedside table and handed me a boar bristle brush. I quickly braided her hair and tied it off.

"Come on, we don't want to be late if Mother's eating with us tonight".

"Too true," she replied, standing up and stretching again. "She'll just have to deal with the fact that I'm not changing my clothes."

Agnes and I walked out of the room and on to the landing. The chandelier in the foyer cast a soft light over the downstairs, bathing our furniture with a golden gleam. I could smell Inez's cooking-it smelled like tuna tartare, Mother's favorite, which meant that Mother would more than likely be dining with us tonight.

I walked down the stairs and into the luxuriously appointed dining room. Sure enough, Mother was sitting at the head of the table. There were only three place settings, which meant that Daddy was working late in the study. She was dressed in a Ralph Lauren cashmere dress, her platinum blonde hair pulled back in an elegant chignon.

"Good evening, ladies. You may sit down," she said imperiously. I took my place to her right, Agnes to her left. Mother rang a small bell that sat next to her hand, and Inez walked in with a serving tray and began placing the food on our delicate china plates. I was right, tuna tartar. Next to my plate was a glass bowl with an arugula salad in it.

Our meal began in silence, and I sighed. I guess some things never change.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **We, Intertwined

**Author: **MarinasDiamonds

**Rating: **T

**A/N: **Thanks to my reviewers! This story is actually a couple years old; I'm just fleshing it out and fixing it up some. Enjoy! (psst, Jacob shows up ;)

After a painfully quiet dinner, we all retired to our separate spheres of the house. I made a quick detour to Daddy's office to see how his day was. I knocked on the heavy mahogany door and waited for a response.

"Come in!" Daddy called, and I pushed open the door. He was sitting in his high backed leather chair, looking at his multiple computer screens. Stocks ticked across the screens, showing the ups and downs of the market. Daddy's Bluetooth headset was blinking on his ear, and he smiled at me.

"Let me call you back in a bit, Mathis. Yeah, just run the numbers from the last quarter and we can talk about dividends when I call you back." He disconnected and smiled at me.

"There's my baby girl! How was your first day of school? Sit down, honey." He said, gesturing to a plush sable leather chair.

I sat, crossing my legs at the ankles like I had been taught so many years ago. "It was okay. I made a couple friends. It'll be a lot easier than Georgetown Day."

Daddy chuckled. "No doubt about that, sweet pea. What are your friends' names? I might know their families."

I chewed on my lower lip, trying to remember. "Um, Kim Williams, Jared…something, Embry Call and someone named Quil. I don't really know a lot of last names."

Daddy nodded and said, "Yeah, Ingrid Williams was a year below me, and the Calls are a good family. Embry was in my grade. I guess his son has the same name."

"I really like Kim. She's sweet. All the guys are so big! They're like 6'5 and really muscled. Embry, Quil, Jared…they're all huge. And really warm. I shook their hands and I thought I was going to be burned."

Daddy's russet skin paled. "Is that right?" he said, his voice tight. This was out of character for Daddy, who was always so confident. "Maybe I should call Billy Black."

"Why's that, Daddy?" I asked. This sounded like it could be serious.

"It's nothing, sweet pea. We just have some catching up to do." I would have believed him but for the deep worry lines etched in his forehead. "Why don't you go up and get your shower, maybe finish some homework? You could give your brother a call, too."

I nodded and walked over to kiss the top of Daddy's head. "I hope everything's okay, Daddy." I said quietly. I got the feeling he wasn't telling me something.

"It is, darling. I promise."

I smiled at him and walked out. I guess he could tell me on his own time. Humming a Barbra Streisand tune, I walked up the stairs and into my pale yellow room. I had already finished the essay so I figured it was time for a shower. I walked into the marble tiled bathroom and turned on the cavernous shower, letting it steam up the room. I stripped and stood in front of the mirror, examining my body. Running my fingers over the web of scars and healing cuts on my thigh, I thought about my promise to Richie to stop cutting. I had managed to keep it, but I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay strong.

I stepped into the shower and let the hot water scald my soul. The water would no doubt leave welts on my skin, but I didn't care. I wanted to be clean, inside and out.

I stood in front of the mirror again, pink and wet from the shower. I grabbed my Bobbi Brown face cream and massaged it into my pale cheeks. I didn't want any dry skin. I rubbed all my face products in and put on my silk Tocca robe. I went over to the iPod dock in the wall and selected some Death Cab for Cutie-I needed something to chill me out. I grabbed my pink CamelBak and looked over at my shelf of pills: Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Abilify, Lamictal and Vistaril. The little bundles of chemicals that kept me sane, joy of joys. I walked over and popped them into my mouth-one, two, three, four and five. I flopped down on the bed and grabbed my iPhone out of my Kate Spade to text my brother.

While I waited for his response, I massaged some Moroccan Oil into my hair and put it in a loose braid. I put on my Soma sleep shift and grabbed my computer from my desk so I could curl up in bed with it. Setting myself in my down coverlet, I arranged my pillows around me and dimmed the lights in my room. I looked at the clock; it was 10 pm, meaning that it was 7 in Boston, and Richie was probably eating dinner. I opened my computer and logged into Facebook. To my surprise, I had several friend requests-Kim, Jared and Embry had all friended me. I smiled to myself; maybe this wouldn't be so bad. I really liked Kim. She seemed so kind hearted, exactly the friend I needed right now.

My phone beeped and I looked down at the screen. It was Richie-I opened the text and read: _ sorry sis, I just got back from a date. We got Chinese and he's wonderful. _I was the only one who knew Richie's secret; if Mother got wind that he was gay, all hell would break loose. I was so glad he chose to tell me. It was a muggy summer night, and I was smoking a stolen cigarette, looking out over the canal by our house. Richie came up to me, grabbed the cigarette, took a drag, looked at me and very calmly said "I'm gay, Veer." I smiled, took the cigarette back and told him that I already knew. Richie had always been a bit effeminate. He always had more female friends than male friends, which my parents wrote off as him being successful with the ladies.

Richie had given me a one armed hug and said, "Don't tell the parentals, okay?" I nodded, took another pull of the cigarette, and that was that.

Shaking myself out of my reverie, I began to tell Richie about my day, pausing to accept the friend requests from the kids at school. At 11 o'clock, I shut off the light. I wanted to wake up early and get in a quick run before school. Running always helped me clear my head, and I had a feeling that I'd need it before facing another day at the high school.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard a wolf howl.

_

I woke up the next morning to my alarm clock blasting Lady Gaga and weak sunlight filtering through the gossamer curtains in my room. It was 6:00, plenty of time to get in a 45 minute run, shower and get Agnes and me to school on time.

I got out of bed and began to do my stretches, dragging my muscles out of their slumber. Once I felt limber enough, I put on my Lululemon running clothes and grabbed my iPod. I went down the stairs, two at a time and went into the kitchen to leave a note for my family. Once I had done that, I jogged out the door and down the driveway.

I made a right out of the driveway, heading towards the beach. My running playlist this morning consisted of Marina and the Diamonds, my current favorite. I let her bell-like voice ring through my skull, lulling me into my runner's paradise.

I ran along the shoreline, dodging driftwood and let myself get lost in the rhythmic pounding of blood in my ears and my feet treading along the sand. As I was about to turn around, I saw something along the edge of the woods. I skittered to a halt and stared at it, clutching my chest. It was much too big to be a bobcat, or even a wolf. It was huge, red-brown and hulking. I was too out of breath to scream, and it was just standing there, looking off into the ocean. I tried to make myself as small as possible-I didn't want it to notice me on any account.

With a start, the thing dodged off into the trees. I ran off towards the house, not even worried about pacing myself. I simply did not want to be on the beach any longer. No way in hell was I going to be eaten by a massive beast thing before I even went to college.

I went into the house through the back door, running up the stairs. I could hear Agnes blow-drying her hair in her room. I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower with more force then necessary. I threw myself into the shower and scrubbed myself clean of sweat and terror.

I stood looking at myself in the full-length mirror, assessing my outfit choice for the day. My hair was in a tight fishtail braid trailing over my left shoulder, I was rocking a smoky eye as well. I dabbed pale pink MAC lipstick over my lips and smacked them together, examining my face in the mirror. I pondered over how to describe my face…elfin, perhaps? My cheekbones were defined, my forehead a bit big, my lips were full. I knew, objectively, that I was a pretty girl. However, knowing something is different than believing it. My self-esteem was, as ever, abysmally low.

Time for clothing-I stepped across my lush carpet and opened the whitewashed door to my walk-in closet. Looking proudly at my wall of jeans, I dragged my fingertips across the plethora of denim. I selected a pair of lavender skinnies and turned to survey my sweater collection. This morning I chose a gray ombre oversized cable knit. Slouchy and skinny-one of my favorite combinations. I turned to the island in the middle of the closet and grabbed a matching Cosabella bra and panty set in pale blue. I closed my eyes for a brief minute, imagining someone seeing me in them. Unbidden, my mind flashed to Embry Call. I gasped and snapped my eyes open, banishing the image. Shaking my head to clear it, I began to dress myself.

Once I was dressed, I fetched my essay from my desk and put it into a manila envelope. I didn't want it to get wrinkled or dirty, for fear of upsetting Mr. Bowyer. I slipped the folder into my purse and checked to see if my wallet and lip balm were still in there from yesterday. After assuring myself that the essentials were there, I grabbed my phone off the charger and clicked on the screen. A reminder flashed: take your pills. Oh, that. I had almost forgot. I trudged to the bathroom and filled a crystal glass with water from the sink and swallowed my pills like a good girl.

I walked into the kitchen to find Agnes eating some grapefruit and Inez filling up thermoses with tea.

"Vera, I have cantaloupe and grapefruit for you if you want some" Inez said in her slightly accented English.

"I'll just have some cantaloupe, Inez," I said. She smiled knowingly and pushed a plate of sliced fruit at me.

"That's what I thought, dear."

Sometimes I thought Inez knew me better than my own mother. Would she know that I liked cantaloupe better than grapefruit? Or that I hated coffee? I shook my head. Now wasn't the time for those types of thoughts.

Inez handed me my keys and smiled. "Go on and take your sister to school, honey. Make me proud, okay?" She said.

I grabbed the keys and smiled back. "Will do, Inez. C'mon, Agnes" I said as my little sister was wiping her mouth daintily with a napkin. She was wearing Kitsune slim cut vintage jeans, a pink Ralph Lauren oxford and black Miu Miu laceups. Very East Coast chic, I noted.

She grabbed her matching black Miu Miu tote and followed me out the door to the car. "I get to pick the song today, right?" Agnes asked.

"Of course, dear," I said, handing her the iPod. She scrolled through quickly and plugged it in, the sounds of the theme to Swan Lake blasting through the crystal clear sound system.

"Nice choice, Ags," I said, praising her song choice. The ordered progression of notes was exactly the calming influence I needed right now.

"So I went for a run this morning, and I saw something." I said. Agnes wouldn't think I was crazy for this, I was sure of it.

"What was it?" Agnes asked.

"It was really big, some sort of animal, I think. It was this reddish brown color…kind of like a bear or a wolf, or a cougar or something. I don't know what it was, but I got out of there as fast as I could. I don't think it saw me."

"Maybe you shouldn't run that way anymore. It could be a werewolf, you know," Agnes said, a glint of humor shining in her eyes.

I laughed, and said, "Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what it is." I pulled the Cayenne into a parking space by a scrawny tree and cut off the engine.

"What class do you have first today?" I asked my younger sister.

"I've got geometry first," she replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Ugh, math," I complained. I could definitely sympathize with her. Math was so not my subject; I was definitely an English person.

I grabbed my bag out of the backseat and got out of the car, careful to avoid any puddles. I suppressed a shiver as the wet wind blew through the gaps in the weave of my sweater. It seemed as if it was always cold here.

Agnes and I dodged puddles all the way to our respective buildings. I had Anatomy first today, and we were still going over the textbook, so I had time to think about what exactly I had seen earlier that morning.

After sitting for 45 minutes and pondering the apparition at the beach, I decided it had to have been some sort of weird Northwest bear. Maybe Jared would know. Mrs. Walker fortunately gave us an assignment that involved working with a partner to find certain terms in the text. I shot up out of my seat and went around the table to sit next to Jared.

"Do you mind if I work with you, Jared?" I asked, hoping his girlfriend's fondness for me extended to him.

"Hey! Not a problem!" he replied, pulling out the seat next to him. "How's La Push treating you so far?"

"Honestly it's wet here. Wetter than DC" I said.

"Oh, I knew you were from the east coast but I didn't realize you were from DC," Jared said amiably.

"Yep. Born and raised in the nation's capital," I replied, smiling. I missed DC: the cherry blossoms in the spring, the cosmopolitan downtown, DuPont Circle and the canals.

"Hey, so can I ask you something? I saw something this morning when I was running on the beach and I wanted to know if you knew what it was. It was big and reddish-orange. I think it was a bear but I've never seen a bear that big before. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Jared's tanned skin paled considerably. "Yeah, it was probably just a bear. Did it see you?"

"No," I said, pondering his question. "I think I got out of there before it saw me. It could have smelled me though."

"Maybe," Jared answered, flipping through the anatomy book.

"So…you said it was probably a bear. Does that mean you've never seen or heard of this before?"

Jared sighed, looking conflicted. "Yeah, I've heard of it before. It's not something we should really be talking about." He threw me a meaningful glance. "So we better not."

I chewed on my lip, thinking over this new information. There was a secret in La Push, a secret I was determined to find out.

School passed drearily by. We turned in our essays in English and copied down vocabulary words. Math was an algebra review and Spanish a verb review. I spent the day thinking about the strange creature I saw in the woods. I wondered if Daddy had spoken to Mr. Black yet. I made a mental note to ask him when I got home.

When the final bell rang, I met Agnes by the front office and walked to the Cayenne.

"What's wrong, Vera?" she asked. "You look preoccupied."

"I guess I am, Ags. I'm thinking about what I saw on the beach this morning. I spoke to one of my friends about it and he said it was "probably" a bear and that we weren't supposed to be talking about it. There's something going on here, and I want to know what it is."

"Sounds like a mystery, Nancy Drew," Agnes teased. "Now all you need is your Ned Nickerson. Maybe you should consider Embry." I blushed red-hot.

"Ha-HA! You like him!" she singsonged. "I knew it!"

"I just think he's cute, is all."

"There's nothing wrong with thinking someone's cute, Vera. It's not like I suggested you tie him up and go all _Fifty Shades of Grey_ on him," Agnes said matter-of-factly.

"Agnes!" I cried, shocked that she knew what that smut entailed.

"I read," she said placidly.

I shook my head, laughing and turned the car out of the parking lot. A _ding_ caught my attention; the gas light came on.

"Oh shit, Agnes, we need gas. Soon." I said, trying to remember if I knew where a gas station was.

"Don't worry, I'll look one up," Agnes piped up. She tapped on her iPhone and pulled up directions to the nearest gas station, which was only five minutes away. I directed the car down Main Street and surveyed the dilapidated buildings. Yeah, I sincerely doubted that there was a mall anywhere near us. I pulled up to the Sunoco and popped open the gas cover using the lever by my feet. I decided to go inside the store and buy a pack of American Spirits.

"Agnes, stay in the car, ok?"

"Really, Vera? Are you really going to buy those cancer sticks?" she asked, a reproachful tone in her voice and disdain in her dark eyes.

"Please, Agnes, don't bug me about it today. I'm stressed."

"Fine." She said, her voice clipped and short. "But when you're 30 and dying of cancer don't expect me to be sympathetic."

I could deal with that. I stepped out of the car and made sure my fake ID was in the front pocket of my wallet. As I walked into the store I barely registered a beat up red VW pulling up to the pump adjacent to mine.

I pushed open the door and stepped into the darkened store. Surveying the selection of cigarettes on the wall behind the counter, I saw that they had my American Spirit menthols.

"Can I have the teal pack of American Spirits, please?" I asked the grey-haired man behind the counter.

"Sure thing, if I can see your ID," he said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Not a problem," I replied, smoothly pulling my wallet out of my bag and removing my fake Maryland ID. It had my real name and picture on it, plus my date of birth, but the year was 1990. I handed it to the clerk and inspected my nails nonchalantly. Glancing out the window, I saw my sister talking to the driver of the VW, a tall, well-muscled man wearing nothing but cutoff jeans.

"That'll be $10.80, the clerk said, handing me my ID and my pack of cigarettes. I quickly grabbed them and walked out the door, curious as to why my little sister was talking to what appeared to be a grown man.

"Agnes?" I said, unlocking the car and opening the door. "Let's go."

"Oh, hi Vera! This is Jacob Black," Agnes said cheerily, gesturing to the man whose back was still facing me.

_The _Jacob Black!? I gasped in surprise. He turned around slowly and my eyes took in glossy black hair, tight, tanned skin and wide cheekbones. His eyes were liquid obsidian and they were locked on my face. It was like all the air had been removed from the atmosphere.

"Vera," he breathed in a husky voice. "That's a beautiful name. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

"H…hi" I said shakily. I felt like there was an invisible wire pulling me towards him. "It's nice to meet you." I felt my feet moving me closer to him. I walked around the front of the Cayenne and came to a stop in front of him. It was like I was moving by some otherworldly force.

Jacob looked at me like I was something descended from heaven. His eyes were searching my body and face, trying to take everything in at once. He reached a huge hand up and trailed the back of his index finger down my face. The softness and intimacy of the moment was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

My phone buzzed insistently in my hip pocket but I ignored it. I never wanted this moment to end. Jacob's hand found mine and the heat of it shocked me. He squeezed tight, eyes still locked on mine. "Vera…" he said again, quietly. Agnes cleared her throat delicately.

"Um…what's going on?" she asked. To us, however, it was like she didn't exist. Jacob's hand was warm, engulfing my small, pale one. His eyes bored into mine, like he was staring into my soul. Jacob was tall, well over six feet, almost a foot taller than my 5'6 frame. Agnes tugged on my sleeve. "Can anyone explain what's going on here?" she said indignantly. Her words were like a bucket of cold water dumped on our idyll.

"Um, I…I don't know" I said, looking up at Jacob in confusion. What _had_ just happened? I was completely unsure. Jacob swallowed audibly and gave my hand one final squeeze before dropping it.

"I need to go," he said. "Vera," Jacob looked at me tenderly. "I'll see you soon." I nodded, gulping like a fish.

"Yeah. I..I hope so,"

He backed away from me slowly and walked around the gas pump to his car. I turned and slid my credit card at the pump. My mind was left swimming with images of Jacob and his dark eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: We, Intertwined**

**Author: MarinasDiamonds**

**Rating: T+**

**A/N: Please, please leave reviews! I'd love to hear everyone's feedback. I've got another update in the works, this time from Jake's POV. I hope everyone enjoys!**

I sat in my bed, freshly showered and wearing yoga pants and one of Richie's fraternity shirts, thinking about what had happened at the gas station today. The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of dark eyes and warm skin. My homework sat untouched in my bag, my computer was off at my desk and my texts from Richie were going unanswered. All I could think about was my encounter with Jacob Black.

I sighed, trying to think of who I could talk to about what the hell happened this afternoon. I got up and went to my desk, powering up my MacBook. I logged onto Facebook and saw that Kim was online. I clicked on her name and typed:

_Hey, I met Jacob Black today_

I waited for Kim to respond and went to check my email. Nothing but spam from Kate Spade, Tocca, Marc Jacobs, and MAC along with emails from colleges. I saw my Facebook tab blinking; good, Kim had responded.

_**Yeah, I heard. Listen, there are some things we need to talk to you about. What are you doing Friday night?**_

That was odd. I mean, obviously _something_ had to be explained but why was Kim involved in it? I chewed my lip and typed a response.

_Uh, nothing yet. Why?_

_**Well, we're having a bonfire up on the cliffs by First Beach. Jacob's gonna be there and we've got to explain what happened today to you.**_

_Wait, you already know!?_

_**Word travels fast in La Push, especially with Jake and the guys. But don't worry, you'll understand everything after Friday. **_

_Ok. I guess I'll be there then. _

Well, now I had plans for Friday night. I thought for a moment and decided to search for Jacob's (Jake?) Facebook page. He was the first person to pop up when I searched him and we had 3 mutual friends in common. I clicked the "add friend" button and sat back to wait. Lame, I know, but I couldn't deny that we had a connection.

To my surprise, he added me immediately. He must have been online right when I friend requested him. I debated chatting him, but he beat me to the punch.

**Hello beautiful**

He called me beautiful! I blushed fiercely. Very few guys had called me beautiful and very few of them had meant it, I'm sure.

_Hi there_

I held my breath anxiously. What was going on between us? Was this love at first sight? I immediately pushed the thought from my mind. I certainly didn't believe in love at first sight, and definitely not when I was seventeen years old.

**I guess you're probably confused about a lot of things**

I laughed softly to myself, that had to be the understatement of the year.

_Yeah, I am. What happened today? I've never even met you before. _

Oh shit, that sounded bad…

_Not that I'm complaining, it's just like nothing that I've experienced _

I waited for his response with baited breath. I was so confused…what was happening between us?

**I don't really know how to explain it to you, Vera. Are you coming to the bonfire on Friday? I promise everything will make more sense then. **

_I guess that's all I'm going to get until Friday night then?_

_**As far as an explanation, yeah. My hands are kinda tied until then. Is it ok if I see you before then, though?**_

I felt my heartbeat speed up. I wanted to see Jacob again, sooner than Friday if I could.

_Sure, I'd really like to see you again. _And good God, would I. There was something about him that made me feel safe and wanted. Like I'd found something I never knew I had been missing.

_**Can I see you tonight? Or is that too forward?**_

Too forward? Here I was hoping that he'd be in my room right now, so I could talk to him, get to know him, figure out what was going on between us.

_It's not too forward. Where do you wanna hang out?_

_**Do you know where First Beach is?**_

_Isn't that where the bonfire is?_

_**Yeah, up on the cliffs. But I was wondering if you'd like to go for a walk on the beach and maybe sit on the driftwood and talk…if that's not too weird. **_

_Haha it's not weird, don't worry. I'd love to meet up tonight. What time's good for you?_

_**Are you free around 8? I have to meet up with a couple friends but after that I'll meet you at the beach. **_

_Sounds great, Jacob_

_**Cool, see ya then beautiful**_

Oh God, what was I gonna wear? I slammed my computer shut and jogged over to my closet, mentally scanning through a list of date outfits I had used in the past. All of them seemed too fancy for the beach. Wait, was this even a date? Well, whatever it was, I certainly couldn't go in yoga pants and an Pi Kapp recruitment shirt.

Let's see, I could wear the jeans I wore to school today, but he'd already seen me in them. Plus, recycling outfits was gauche. No, I'd go with my tailored Diesel jeans and tuck them into my Frye boots and a lace back chambray button down. Yeah, that sounds nice. Cute and casual.

I quickly threw on my clothes and tousled my hair so it fell down around my shoulders in waves. I glanced at myself in the mirror and decided to go with minimal makeup. I walked into the bathroom and flipped on my vanity light. My makeup bag was filled to the brim and almost overflowing; I really needed to organize it. I grabbed my mascara and tried to put it on, but my hands were shaking so badly that I decided to forego the makeup entirely.

I should probably tell Agnes where I was going, I decided, walking to my little sister's room. I knocked on the door and waited for her to call "come in".

"Hey, Ags, so…I'm going to the beach with Jacob. Will you cover for me?" Agnes had done this many times for me over the years, covering my ass while I snuck out with boys who really only cared about one thing. She would often tell our mother that I was at the library or at a student government meeting, but that wouldn't work here where I knew barely anyone.

"What do you expect me to say?" Agnes asked. "You met him _today,_ Vera. Don't you think this is rash?"

Of course, Agnes did have a point. I barely knew Jacob, but there was definitely _something_ there. I couldn't deny that. I couldn't deny the electricity that rushed through my body when he touched me.

"Can you tell her I've gone to study with my friend Kim?" I was sure that my mother wouldn't object to me making friends here in La Push. After all, wouldn't she want her daughter to be popular?

Agnes sighed, resigned. "Yes, I'll cover for you. But only if you explain what the hell goes on in your head when you get back, Vera. I'm worried."

Of all the times for her to be worried, now was the most inconsequential. "Agnes, I promise, as soon as I understand, I'll tell you. Love you kid." I said, ruffling her dark hair.

I nearly fell down the stairs in my hurry to get out of doors before my mother or father noticed I was leaving. It's a good thing fortune favors the bold, because I managed to rush out the house without being spotted by my parents. I ran out to the Cayenne and hit the remote start, powering up my lovely heated seats and starting up the radio. Sliding into the car seat, I cranked up the heat and revved my engine. I peeled out of the gravel drive faster than probably necessary, but hey, I was excited. I drove along the main road, singing my heart out to One Direction (shh, don't tell anyone).

The pulloff for First Beach showed up quicker than I expected, probably because the only other time I came here I had been running. I pulled into a parking space and took a deep breath. This was it. I was going to see Jacob again. I turned off the engine and checked my reflection in the mirror. Yeah, I guess I'd pass.

I got out of the car and walked towards the beach, hugging my arms close to my chest. My car was the only one in the parking lot, so I was unsure if Jacob was here or not. I walked onto the rocky beach and stared out towards the waves. I was lost in my reverie for a couple minutes when a large hand touched my shoulder. I screeched and leapt around. Jacob stood behind me, his other hand in his pocket, smiling bashfully at me.

"Hey, I'm sorry for scaring you. My bad," he said. I put my hand on my chest and breathed deeply, trying to calm my racing heart.

"Not a problem," I said softly, willing more words to come to me. I didn't want him to think I was a mute idiot.

"Hi," Jacob said, still smiling. "How are you?"

"Better, now that you're here," I replied, then mentally smacked myself. Ugh, why was I such a dork?

Jacob laughed, a great husky sound that I could tell I would be addicted to. "I love the honesty. Wanna go for a walk?"

"Sure," I said, smiling back up at him. God, he was tall; it seemed like he was a foot taller than me. He cocked his head to the right and started walking. We walked in silence for a few minutes, nothing but the sound of the waves and the wind to keep us company. After about five minutes, he reached down and grabbed my hand.

"Is this ok?" he asked, squeezing my hand.

Oh boy, was it. His hand was large and warm and calloused, everything a man's hand should be. I could feel the ice around my heart starting to melt.

"Yeah, it's great."

"So…" Jacob said, trailing off like he was nervous. "You're new in town."

"Yep. Fresh from the east coast," I replied.

"Yeah I just got back in town myself."

"Oh? Where were you?" I asked.

I noticed his shoulders tense up and immediately regretted my question.

"Uh, just up in Canada. Doing some stuff," he said enigmatically.

"Cool…" I mumbled, afraid that I'd asked too much. Silence overtook us as we walked along the shore. I found myself staring out over the sea, looking at the moonlit cloud formations and pondering my relationship with this beautiful stranger.

We came to a rocky outcropping lined with tall cliffs. "That's where the bonfire is tomorrow night," he said, pointing up to the cliffs.

"So who all's gonna be at this bonfire?" I asked.

"Um, the pa-the guys: Embry, Quil, Sam, Jared, Paul, Seth and his sister Leah, and everyone's girlfriends. You know Kim, right?"

"Yeah! I love Kim. She's so sweet. It's obvious she and Jared are meant for each other."

Jacob laughed. "Yeah, it is, isn't it? Wanna turn back? It's getting kinda late and I don't want to get you in any trouble."

I checked my Michael Kors watch; indeed, it was quarter to ten. I couldn't risk staying out too late without arousing my mother's suspicion.

"Yeah, we should probably head back." I said, reluctantly turning back. Jacob ran his thumb up and down my hand, making my chest ache for something I couldn't identify. What were all these strange new feelings? I barely knew him, but I couldn't remember feeling this way about any other guy before.

We walked in comfortable silence back to the parking lot, about a quarter mile from the cliffs. We reached the parking lot and stood under the lights, looking at each other but neither of us saying a word.

"What would you do if I said I wanted to kiss you?" Jake asked.

"What would you do if I said I wanted you to?" I said.

His lips crashed into mine-the roaring of the ocean coupled with the pounding of my heart beat like tribal drums in my head. Searing, sweet heat tore through my body and settled into a ball of sunshine illuminating my soul. Jake's huge hands cupped the sides of my face tenderly and I pushed my body against his, craving more contact. He slid his tongue lightly along my bottom lip and I felt the heat of his breath, coaxing my mouth open. Jake's hands moved suddenly to my waist, angling my back against the Cayenne.

I could feel the heat radiating through the fabric of my jeans from his palms resting on my hips. All I could think about was getting closer to him. I hooked my lower leg around his and pulled his body nearer to mine, relishing in the warmth of his body heat. Jake gasped and ground his hips into mine, eliciting a moan from me. Our tongues touched and I felt my universe condense into my immediate surroundings. All that mattered was the two of us. We finally broke apart and our eyes locked.

"Wow," I breathed.

"You could say that again," Jake chuckled.

"I've never been kissed like that before," I said, thinking back to my previous encounters with boys, none of which could begin to hold a candle to what I had just experienced. Jake smiled gently at me and brushed a strand of hair off my forehead.

"You deserve to be kissed like that every day of your life, Vera," he said, his tone reverent.

This declaration sucked all the air from my lungs. He was treating me like I was special, like a precious gem. It was entirely new and scary, but I could tell I wouldn't be able to get enough of it. I looked up and saw him studying me intently.

"You're so beautiful," Jake whispered. Tears sprang to my eyes and threatened to spill over. Jake brushed his fingers across my trembling lips and pressed a light kiss to my forehead.

"I'm promising you this: as long as you're mine, I'll do my damndest to make sure you feel beautiful and loved every day of your life."

I couldn't believe I was so lucky. Jake was sweet, caring, kind, undeniably sexy and lhe wanted me to be his! Things like this just didn't happen to fucked up people like me…at least not in real life.

Jake reached next to me and opened the driver's side door. "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"How will you get back?" I asked, realizing that I had no idea where he lived.

"I'll run," Jake said, smiling. He liked to run! This was fantastic! I beamed up at him.

"Ok! If you're sure, it's dark out and there's weird animals around here. I saw this wolf-bear thing this morning and it really freaked me out."

Jake's face immediately turned somber. "Really? Are you sure you saw it?"

" Yeah, definitely. It was early this morning and it was up on the beach up there."

His face lost color. "Hmm, ok."

"But yeah, if you want to drive that'd be great. I want to keep spending time with you but I've got to get back home. I don't want my mom to get suspicious. I told her I was out studying."

"Not a problem, pretty lady," Jake said, easing his long body into the driver's seat. I walked around to the passenger side and slid in. He turned on the car and moaned.

"Oh, this baby purrs. Embry wasn't kidding," he said.

I laughed, apparently Embry had been talking up my car. "Yeah she does, I just got it. It used to be my dad's."

We drove out of the parking lot and Jake reached over and took my hand. "That's actually how I first saw you. I noticed your car and started bugging your sister about it. And then you walked out of the convenience store and changed my life."

Such blatant honesty shocked me. He was making no secret about his affection for me, and I found I liked that. Jake pulled into my driveway without me directing him, and I was a little creeped out.

"You know where I live…?"

Jake laughed. "Vera, everyone on the rez knows where you live. All these houses have been here for at least fifty years, except yours."

He did have a point. Jake pulled my car to a stop in our circular driveway and killed the engine. We sat in silence, looking down at our entwined hands. All of the sudden, he surged towards me and caught my lips in a searing kiss. Our tongues tentatively explored each other's mouths and he took my lower lip between his teeth, biting down gently. I gasped, warmth pooling between my thighs. I was no blushing virgin, but there was no mistake: I had never been this turned on by someone in my life.

"Goodnight, Vera. I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful," Jake said, kissing my knuckles and getting out of the car. He took off towards the woods at a run, and I got out of my car in a daze.

Yeah, I had it bad. I was falling for Jacob Black.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: here's the chapter from Jacob's POV! Sorry it's a little short but I haven't quite gotten my Jake voice in tune yet. As always, read and review! I'll love you forever/send you a snippet of the next chapter!**

_**Jacob POV**_

I jogged lightly away from the car, turning at the treeline to watch my beautiful girl open the front door to her house. She turned, smiled one last sweet smile and went inside. I couldn't contain myself; I ran into the trees wildly, pumping my fist in the air like John Bender. She was _mine! _I skidded to a halt, my chest heaving not from exertion but from pent up emotion. I could barely contain it anymore, I phased. As my world exploded, my vision was filled with images of Vera: her smile, the way her hair cascaded around her shoulder, her clear grey eyes-she was my universe.

A chorus of voices erupted in my head, my brothers congratulating me. I couldn't keep my mind off of her. Their words of floated over me, filling me with pride.

_Congrats, Jake! Looks like you got a winner this time, _said Quil's voice in my head.

_Yeah, she's sweet, Jake_, said Embry. _And she has a sick car_.

I called out to Sam in my head, I finally understood. I apologized for judging him so harshly about Emily at times and being annoyed when his thoughts of her slipped through his tightly controlled walls. I told Jared and Quil, too, that I finally understood. It was like there was a shift in my universe. The aching hole in my chest that had been there for the past two years was starting to heal over. My wounds were closing, slowly but surely: my angel was helping me. I saw her in profile, staring towards the waves, I remembered the first time I saw her, illuminated by the afternoon sun, walking towards me. Her scent filled my nostrils, sweet like cinnamon. She consumed me.

_Jake_, Sam's voice said in my head. _Go on home. You'll be useless tonight and we're just patrolling. It's peacetime. Go. Take the night off. _Never before had Sam been so lenient, but holy fuck was I glad he picked tonight. _We'll have words in the morning_.

_Sure thing, Sam_, I said, relief in my voice as I took off. All I wanted to do was get home and see if Vera was online. There was a pulling sensation in my chest, tugging me back towards her house. I made a lap around the perimeter of the yard and crept towards the back of the house, scanning the windows for any sign of her. I sat in the shadows and watched her younger sister put a DVD in a television and shut the light off. The next window over, I caught a glimpse of movement. It was her!

She was sitting close to the window, braiding her hair. I couldn't think of anything more beautiful. I backed into the woods so she wouldn't see me. I knew my wolf would scare her, especially if she'd already seen one of us this morning. How could we have been so careless? I'd have to mention that to Sam in the morning.

Vera's window must have been cracked open because I caught a whiff of her scent. I pricked my ears, listening for anything. No, nothing. Slowly, I shifted my weight toward my back paws. Suddenly, a limb on the ground snapped under my weight. Vera's head whipped around in my direction. She pushed open her window cautiously and looked out.

"Who's there?" she cried. Her voice made me ache, literally. I needed her. I almost phased back and went to talk to her, but in my excitement I'd shredded my clothes. I didn't want our first naked encounter to be one sided. I backed further into the forest, not taking my eyes off her. I was like a man in the desert who'd found his oasis. I couldn't get enough.

Vera looked around once more and then closed the window. I turned and ran down the embankment towards my house. The run in the woods lifted my spirits even more as I stretched my legs. I couldn't believe my luck. I came back to La Push to try to convince Bella not to marry Edward, I'd gone to the wedding and said goodbye, and the next day when I was filling up the Rabbit to head out of town, I imprinted on the most perfect girl in the world. Her sister told me they were new in town, her father was half Quileute and their mother white.

Dad had laughed when I told him who I'd imprinted on. He told me Richard Rocheford had married rich and moved east where he'd built a successful stock broking business. He and Richard were childhood friends but hadn't seen each other in years.

I came to a stop outside my shed, where I'd stashed some extra clothes. I phased back and pulled on my cutoffs before walking into the house through the back door. Our kitchen was small…you could call it economy size. All that mattered was that it held the refrigerator, the altar at which I worshiped. I pulled out a Tupperware container of spaghetti, grabbed a fork, and started eating it cold. God, romance takes a lot out of you.

Just at that moment, Billy rolled into the kitchen. "Hey son. Did you see her?"

"How'd you know?"

"You're practically glowing, Jake," Billy said, laughing. "I may not have imprinted on your mother, but I know love when I see it,"

I blushed, hard. Hearing the old man talk about love and romance was weird. Especially when it was about my love and my romance.

"What about your patrol tonight?" he asked.

"Sam sent me home. Giving me the night off I guess," I said, shoveling more food into my mouth.

"Did Vera say if she was coming to the bonfire tomorrow?" Billy asked, rolling his way to the fridge and opening it, grabbing a can of soda. "We have a lot to explain to her."

"Yeah, she'll be there. I'm probably gonna pick her up."

"Sounds good, son. I'm gonna hit the sack. I just wanted to wait up until you got home."

"Sure thing. Night, Dad," I said, tossing my empty Tupperware in the sink and turning to shut off the light. I walked up the stairs and ducked into my small room. It could barely fit me, much less me and all my belongings so I'd moved most of my stuff into my sisters' old room and put a queen size mattress I'd bought off Craigslist on the floor of my room. Posters of cars were on my wall and there was a Miranda Kerr swimsuit edition calendar on my wall. What can I say, she's sexy? I pulled my beat up laptop out from under my pillow and booted it up.

I logged onto my Facebook and smiled when I saw Vera had updated her status: _Happy, so extremely happy. _A huge grin broke out across my face-I knew her status was about me. I'd had a great night, I had already replayed our kisses a thousand times over in my head. I couldn't wait until I could taste her lips again.

This time, she chatted me first.

_Hi Jake _

**Hi beautiful, **I said, clicking on her profile. I began to go through her profile pictures one by one, marveling at how gorgeous she was. Whether her blonde hair was done up in an elaborate hairdo and she was wearing what I assumed was very expensive clothing, or if she was just goofing around with her friends, she was breathtakingly gorgeous.

_I had an amazing time tonight. Thanks for driving me home._

**Not a problem, sweets. **Ugh, I was really turning into Bender.

_How was the run back?_

**Uneventful. Thought about a certain someone a lot. **I clicked through several more photos when suddenly, Vera became much less clothed in them. She was wearing a black bikini, laying out on the beach. My eyes traveled over her delicious curves and my mind immediately plunged in the gutter. What I would give to have her here with me, in my arms, so I could feel her body. No, that's wrong. I shouldn't be thinking about that. I might have imprinted on her, but she barely knew me. I couldn't sexually fantasize about her. That was like a sex crime. I shook my head to clear the sexy images and focused back on our conversation.

**So can I pick you up for the bonfire tomorrow night?**

_Sure! What time?_

**I'll pick you up around 8 if that's ok. Dress warm, the wind gets kind of strong up there on the cliffs. **

_Ok. So can I give you my cell number? So you can text me? _

A huge grin broke out on my face. She wanted to give me her number! I eagerly copied it down into my outdated phone and sent her a smiley face text.

_Well, I've got to go to bed now if I want to look remotely decent for school tomorrow. I'll text you _ she said, logging off. I stalked her profile for a little longer, learning that she liked One Direction (this was a forgiveable offense), Lana Del Rey, and the Veronicas. She drove a Porsche and had an older brother in college. Her favorite book was Les Miserables, and she was afraid of horses. Each little fact seemed infinitely interesting to me. I couldn't get enough of her. She was like the antidote to the poison that jealousy left in my soul.

I shut my laptop and put it on the floor. Crawling over piles of clothes and various automobile parts I looked around for my piece and my stash. I lit up a bowl of bud and blew the smoke out the window, feeling the calm settle over me like a blanket. Ever since that crazy vampire fight in June, I'd been smoking up pretty regularly to help me fall asleep. Bella kissing me and then choosing Edward had haunted my every waking moment until five hours ago. So much had changed, I hadn't even thought of Bella since meeting Vera. I wondered if she'd be happy for me.

I stripped down and climbed into bed, pulling a sheet over me. I was weird, couldn't sleep unless I was covered, even if my body temperature did run at about a hundred and eight degrees. I wrapped my arm around my extra pillow and shut my eyes, trying to hold the scent of cinnamon in my memory. I longed for the day I could hold her in my arms as we drifted off to sleep. I tried to imagine burying my nose in her cornsilk hair and feeling her soft skin against mine. I groaned in frustration. I couldn't imagine how Quil dealt with it; Claire was so young. Not that he was nasty about it, but I bet he was impatient. I sure as hell was.


End file.
